


The Abandoned

by Ryukotsusei



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Canon-Typical Violence, Depression, Dom/sub Undertones, Dubious Ethics, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Ethical Dilemmas, Human Experimentation, M/M, Medical Torture, Mild S&M, Mind Manipulation, Sexual Content, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:10:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryukotsusei/pseuds/Ryukotsusei
Summary: Ui Koori's life is a shambles. Sasaki has betrayed the CCG and taken his mentor Arima, although the wounds that Hairus's death has left on his soul are still fresh. To his new boss Furuta Nimura, he is no more than a means of morbid entertainment, yet it is this man of all people who promises hope: The resurrection Hairus. And Ui is willing to give everything for it, even if it means losing himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my native language. I apologize in advance for any errors, but I hope that it is legible.  
> If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> I hope, you enjoy reading! :D

Ui wasn't stupid. He knew that he had fallen into Furuta's trap without him having to force him into it.  
In the end it was all his own fault and he fucking knew he couldn't trust Furuta. But he had no idea what catastrophic consequences his decisions would ultimately have. 

Ui sat completely tensed on his chair, his back stretched out almost unnaturally straight and both hands firmly around his wine glass. The bright light in the festively decorated hall dazzled his eyes, a dull pain pulsating constantly behind his forehead.  
And beside him Furuta sat enthroned like a king and smiled smugly. He knew very well that Ui would keep his word.  
After all, it was about more. . . About so much more than for his own well-being. 

Ui just couldn't get the jar out of his head. The jar with the formaldehyde. The jar in which Hairus's head floated, her eyes closed, as if she were sleeping, waking up at any moment and knocking tiredly on the glass. Her pink hair looked soft and silky, weightless and her face was free of any pain, so the thought didn't seem so absurd. Wishful thinking. The rational part of him had just realized that. 

He'd do anything to save her. Everything.  
And Furuta, that bastard, knew that for a fact. He would have to obey.  
The prospect of being able to embrace Hairu again at some point was the only thing that gave him the strength to get up every day and do his work.  
Ui no longer felt like a human being, but more like an empty shell that worked completely automatically. But it helped him to continue his work as an investigator. Killing ghouls gave him some relief.  
Violence was good. Violence calmed him down. He no longer felt weak in battle.  
In battle, for once, he didn't think of Hairu. 

"Kanou can bring her back to life," Furuta had told him, the container with the gently sloshing formaldehyde solution in his hands, Hairus cheek bumped slightly against the cool glass.  
"This man plays God, but he does his job really well," Furuta smiled narrowly, gently tapping his index finger on the top of the jar, "It would be a pity not even to try, wouldn't it?"  
Ui's heart had beaten so excitedly in his chest that it had made him almost mad. The very thought of having Hairu back made his hands tremble and him careless. He had taken a step towards Furuta without knowing what he had even wanted to do. It just happened. 

"Really? He can. . . he can save her?" Furuta nodded, confirming his greatest wish with an almost predatory expression in his dark eyes that made Uis alarm bells ring. But he didn't care. Anything for Hairu. He wanted a piece of what he had lost in the last few months back. At all costs.  
And if Furuta let him run into the open knife - the main thing is that Hairu could be at his side again. 

"Then tell him to do it,", Ui had demanded, the voice firmer and more determined than he would have thought himself capable of. Furuta saluted before him, a mocking "Yes, sir " on his lips, now balancing the jar with Hairus head only on one palm. The container swayed dangerously for an infinitely long moment. 

"Don't drop it!", he hissed, because suddenly he panicked. Furuta raised a perfectly formed eyebrow in view of his emotional outburst.  
"Huh? Who would drop something so important?" Furuta played with him. He did it all the time, with a perverse pleasure in taking him down psychically.  
So now. Ui could only imagine how much Furuta enjoyed his irritation due to his strange short-term invitation.  
That's why Ui avoided even glancing at his superiors.  
Stubbornly he stared in the opposite direction, looking at the other guests with a slightly wrinkled forehead. He didn't know anyone here, nobody talked to him and maybe that was better. Ui did not want to listen to half-heartedly meant questions about his condition. He also knew he looked bad.

Tired, with dark shadows under his eyes and much too pale.  
The veins on his white skin were already shimmering blue on the back of his hand and when he clenched a hand to his fist, you could see the tendons sticking out. Fortunately, no one here would notice him. Well. . . Almost nobody. Furuta was silent, but Ui felt his lurking glances in his neck. His whole body was tingling uncomfortably and he resisted the urge to turn around to him. Instead, he fidgeted restlessly at his glass and continued to look away into the crowd. 

"Hach, they are late," Furuta sighed sometime. It was only a matter of time before he tried to force him to pay attention with words. Ui's eyes reluctantly scurried briefly to Furuta, who sipped on his red wine with a bored expression on his face. The deep red liquid was peculiarly plastic and firm in bright light.  
"Who?"  
Ui regretted the question even before he had asked it. 

Furuta put his head aside, as if he had to think about it first, then he waved off.  
"I don't need you to pretend you're interested. "  
With these words Furuta leaned back in his chair, still holding his wine glass in his right hand. He gently circled the contents while fixing Ui and smiling benevolently at him. Why did he block if he had started the conversation on his own before? Ui often couldn't figure out Furuta's behavior.  
". . . is it anyone important?"  
Furuta hesitated only a short moment and yet it attracted Ui's attention.  
"Nah. Maybe a little, but that doesn't bother you. Just sit there and look nice. "  
"Pardon?"  
"You heard me correctly," said Furuta, sounding a touch of arrogance, "I'm talking, you shut up. " 

Ui narrowed his eyes in anger and searched in vain for a way to counter quick-wittedly. The urge to strike back verbally was definitely there.  
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do here," Ui replied, not particularly inventive, however, and took a close look at the noble dishes that stood on the table in front of him. He had received a rather meaningless invitation and had blindly followed it. It had already made him a little distrustful, but in the end he had no choice but to assume anyway.  
Furuta shrug shoulders, a gesture that seemed far too common for an above-average handsome man in a sinfully expensive suit. 

"Actually, there's no specific reason for that either. " Liar. 

"Aha. That's very pleasant to hear, thank you very much. "  
The irony in Uis voice was impossible to overhear. Furuta, concentrating on his dark red tie, sent a less friendly look in his direction. 

"Maybe we should practice keeping our mouths shut, huh? This isn't too hard for you, is it?" Ui pressed his lips together to a thin line and then turned away, happy that Furuta was apparently in a bad mood and quickly dropped their conversation. Fortunately, he now ran little risk of getting involved in a deep, unpleasant conversation.  
In fact, they kept silent until two men headed for their table. Furuta did not let it be known that he was apparently annoyed by their delay. He received his guests almost exuberantly. Ui nodded to them only distanced. He wasn't supposed to say anything anyway.  
Furuta kept an eye on him and seemed satisfied that Ui occasionally sipped on his glass and let the conversation pass him by.  
It was about money and various investments. In fact, nothing that mattered to him. 

"You look good, by the way," Ui heard the man speak in a strong dialect. Akihito his name, if Ui had noticed it correctly. Dark hair, green eyes and discreet branded glasses on the nose.  
Furuta laughed up.  
"Oh yeah?" he asked like someone who already knew the answer exactly. Even if Ui did not like to admit it - Akihito was right. The black suit looked really good on him. Like always. Sometimes his superior seemed too perfect for a real creature. 

"Unfortunately, I don't take compliments," Furuta said with pretended regret before he pointed to Ui, "But try it with my dear friend here. "  
Ui blinked in surprise. What was that all about? Why did he draw their attention to him? 

"Ah yes, who is the young man actually?", asked Takane, who did not possess any dialect and pretended that Ui was not even present. Same dark hair and green eyes, but no glasses.  
"Ui Koori - something like my personal entertainment program," Furuta explained in an extremely charming and amused way. Ui had to stick to himself in order not to deny this statement immediately. What a demand. He knew that Furuta was only telling the pure truth - something else he hadn't been for him for a long time. Ui cleared his throat a little before folding his hands on his overturned legs. Furuta was apparently waiting to see if he would say anything else, then he continued. 

"Well. . . Ui is a big help to me. He has worked closely with Arima for a long time, his skills are truly impressive. " Praise? Why did he praise him now? Ui hated it when he couldn't see Furuta's intention. What was he even trying to achieve here? The two men took a knowing look at each other and slowly Ui got the feeling that he was the only one at the table who had no idea what was being played here. 

"I see," said Akihito, then he turned to Ui, "So? What was it like with Arima? He was a legend, it must have been exciting. "  
Ui briefly looked over at Furuta, who then nodded slightly at him. How pathetic he was. . . When had he sunk so low that he was looking for confirmation that he could answer?  
"In fact, he was a great man. He surpassed us all," Ui said somewhat stiffly. Sounded a little memorized.  
Takane raised his glass. "Right," he said, "Without him we would not be where we are today!"  
"True words," Furuta smiled and did it like Takane. Akihito and Ui also took part in the toast and they all drank together on Arima. The taste of the wine suddenly seemed strangely bitter to Ui. Arima. . . His death had hit him hard. After Hairus loss, it had been a hard blow to lose his mentor too. Ui did not want to sound cruel, but he was glad that Hairu had gone first. So she had at least not had to suffer from Arima's demise.  
But if it were actually possible to bring her back. . . No, he'd worry about that when the time came. 

Ui frightened out of his thoughts when they handed him a menu. He hadn't noticed the waitress. Strangely, he was the only one who received one.  
"And. . . What about you?", Ui asked and looked over at Furuta, who play innocent and answered with a friendly "What was supposed to be?“  
"Aren't you going to eat? None of you?", he looked suspiciously. There was something wrong. . .  
"Yes, of course, but we ordered in advance," Furuta explained patiently. Akihito's and Takane's mischievous facial expression Ui did not know how to interpret.  
"Ah yes, and for a reason?"  
"Of course, Ui. By now you should know that nothing happens here for no reason. "  
Furuta looked at him challenging, Ui decided not to give in so easily.  
"And what's that?"  
"Not everyone needs to know everything," Takane intervened.  
"Right and curiosity is the cat's death," Furuta apparently threw in in a good mood.  
Definitely one of Furuta's less subtle threats. Ui pretended he hadn't noticed.  
"Without curiosity, we would not have developed," he replied cool, maintaining eye contact with Furuta. His first facial expression changed back to a relaxed smile within a blink of an eye.  
"Good argument, yet many have given their lives for progress and science. Then as now, without sacrifice, it does not go. " Akihito laughed amusedly. "There's something true about that saying. "  
Ui then remained silent, looking at the menu and thinking about Hairu.  
He did all this just for her. To see her laughing again. Alive. Yes, she should be alive again. . . He'd kind of make sure of that.  
Ui's wine glass was almost empty, but he was the only one that was not refilled.  
But he was smart enough not to question it this time. Ui orders the first best he could find and just waited for the evening to finally pass. 

Furuta was definitely up to something, there was no doubt about that.  
It was just a question of what?  
What was he doing?  
Why would Ui even go with him tonight?  
Furuta was as transparent as a solid steel wall.  
There's no way of looking behind his facade.  
Ui could never tell what was going on in his head. All he knew was that Furuta did not do or say anything without a reason. And that worries him. 

Akihito and Takane disagreed during the conversation. As far as Ui knew, Furuta wanted to put more money into medical research.  
This made Ui prick up his ears. Surely these financial resources should go to Kanou.  
If he actually succeeds in resurrecting the dead. . .  
Such a procedure would mean undreamt-of possibilities. It would be a groundbreaking, innovative development within modern science.  
At the same time a utopian thought, but Ui wanted to believe in it. Furuta would not support Kanou so much if he thought the project impossible.  
Then he would not support his work to such an extent. This gave Ui hope and he too would support Kanou to the best of his ability, if necessary.  
For Hairu. 

The food came, but Ui wasn't hungry. The other men at the table were served bloody meat, he himself had chosen udon noodles. All the time Ui had been ignored, but now Furuta smiled at him fleetingly, his chin resting on the palm of his hand and an expression in his eyes he did not know how to interpret.  
What Ui did not notice, were the lurking glances of the other two men.  
The meat on the plates of the entire table society was not only bloody, but also quite raw. Ui liked his own well done.  
He got sick when he looked at it too long. Automatically he had to think of the torn bodies of his colleagues, whose inside was turned out by ghouls without any mercy.  
Ui pinched his eyes to get rid of the horrible pictures. The nausea didn't get any better, but he tried not to let on. His psyche was probably not yet as stable as he had hoped. . . 

Ui was so lost in thought that he was really startled when Furuta suddenly rose. Akihito and Takane did the same.  
"Please excuse us for a moment," Furuta smiled and looked down at him. Ui felt small and strangely threatened sitting down.  
"It won't be long," Furuta asserted and left the room with the other two men. Ui looked after the three dark figures as they stepped through the large gullwing door. For a fraction of a second he thought he could see a sword sheath dangling from Furuta's belt. Nothing unusual, especially since the sword was a status symbol for Furuta's high rank. Still. . . the weapon didn't quite go with Furuta's fine suit. Before Ui could think more about it, the door slammed shut. Furuta and the two men were gone. 

That was almost an hour ago.  
The hell it wasn't take long. When this guy opened his mouth, nothing came out but lies. . . for Christ's sake.  
Ui restlessly pushed his glass over the table, kept looking in the direction of the door through which they had disappeared. He wouldn't wait long anymore.  
Ui's patience, however, was at an end.  
If Furuta just left him sitting there, he guess nobody could complain if he just left at some point.  
Annoyed Ui reached into the jacket of his suit and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. On his thigh he felt the heavy pistol attached to his belt and barely visible under his jacket, bullets coated with quinquen steel. Just in case. He always had these with him, he didn't leave the house without them. 

Just one more moment. . . then he would get up, have a smoke to calm down a little and disappear.  
If Furuta would later call him to account, he would definitely object.  
What a load of shit. He couldn't have bothered to come here.  
And Furuta still had the audacity to leave him in complete uncertainty until the end.  
Waste of time.  
Even after another quarter of an hour no one came back. With a deep sigh Ui got up, left the hall and stepped outside.

It was pitch black outside. It took him a moment to get his eyes used to the darkness around him. Some lanterns lit up the street, none of them were in his immediate vicinity. The sparks of his lighter shone all the brighter. He needed some drains until the cigarette glowed. Ui decided to stretch his legs a little. He wasn't used to sitting all day.  
He pulled the smoke deep into his lungs before exhaling it again. 

Hairu had never understood what he liked about smoking. She had also wanted to try it once, her curiosity really knew no limits, but after the first breath she had to cough so much that she hadn't even given him the cigarette back, but had just quit it. Hairu had complained about the disgusting taste of nicotine all day long.  
Ui couldn't help smiling with that memory. He really missed her terribly. . . 

When Ui suddenly heard Furuta's voice, he stopped.  
"Oh, my God, that might have ended ugly. It's not usually my way. "  
Ui had problems to separate Furuta's dark figure from the darkness of the night.  
Ugly ending? Well, whatever happened, it wasn't his business. Ui had wanted to turn and go, but when he saw a sword blade flash, he stayed in place. Was that Tsunagi? What would he have needed it for now? No. . . It couldn't be, could it? Were Akihito and Takane. . . ? 

Ui took a step back when he saw the contours of bodies lying on the ground.  
At that moment Furuta turned to him. 

"Koori!", he immediately shouted, his arms outstretched and the Quinques still firmly in his right hand, "What a surprise to see you here, shouldn't you wait inside?"  
Ui shook his head, pulled deeply on his cigarette again before he threw it to the ground. She almost slipped right through his fingers.  
"What's going on?", he asked directly, ignoring the feeling that he was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ui was not allowed to know anything about this, he felt it immediately. 

Furuta slowly approached him with smooth steps. He pushed Tsunami's sharp blade into one of the lifeless bodies as he passed by, and although the weapon was now out of his reach, Furuta by no means lost anything of his threatening nature.  
"I don't know how that could have happened either," he began with a regrettable tone of voice that did not at all match the smile on his face. Furuta slipped thin red gloves over his blood-spattered fingers. 

"They just walked into my sword. I couldn't do anything, it was an accident," Furuta laughed, arms out again, "You believe me, don't you, Koori?"  
More responsive instinctively, he reached for his pistol, pulled it out and pointed the barrel at Furuta's chest. All this happened within seconds, completely affectively. 

"Don't take another step!"  
In fact, his superior stopped.  
"Huh? Be careful with that thing, it can get really dangerous for you, Koori. "  
Ui didn't know what finally drove him to pull his gun. His heart was beating unpleasantly violently against his ribs. He didn't want to pull the trigger, he hadn't really wanted to take the gun in his hand. Slowly he lowered the barrel of the gun again by a piece. Not entirely. The cold metal on his fingers offered him too much security. 

"I want to know what all this means. "  
Furuta sighed theatrically and grabbed his head with one hand, as if there was a pulling pain emanating from his temples.  
"You don't have to hold me at gunpoint for that. That's not the fine kind," Furuta began, reprimanding, not without the typical underground mockery in hix voice. "I was just doing my job. Akihito and Takane turned out to be ghouls, can you believe that? And as such, they belong eliminated, you of all people would agree with me. " 

"Ghouls?", Ui repeated, his gaze rambled over to the bodies for a moment.  
"Yes yes, I was also exceedingly. . . . shocked. " Furuta had turned his face away, the darkness had not made it easy for Ui before to grasp the facial expressions of his counterpart. 

"Is that why I haven't been served the same thing all night?"  
Ui, who suddenly had the idea, stretched it further - and solidified the grip around his weapon. But that would also mean. . .  
"Yes, right! The candidate receives 100 points! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Perceptive as ever. " Furuta applauded him with a distorted smile, the distant light of the street lamp illuminated his face from the side. Well, actually.  
This raw meat, which was systematically distributed to the guests. . . Ui became sick at the thought. But when extra human flesh was served before, the two men hadn't just turned out to be ghouls.  
When Furuta had been able to make such preparations, he had known the identity of his guests from the very beginning. Did that mean Furuta had deliberately invited ghouls? Where from? How did he know that? Ui tried to sort his thoughts. What was going on behind his back? But not only the guests had eaten of the meat, but also. . . 

"But then you are . . ?!", Ui still began, the finger at the trigger.  
Then Furuta had already disappeared and before Ui even got to look for him with his hectic gaze, he appeared right in front of him again. Damn, it went right through his head. He had no time to back off or pull the trigger. Furuta's movement was so fast that a human eye could not perceive it - especially not at night. Ui only felt Furuta's slim fingers lay around his wrist and squeezed with unnatural force. The gun fell right out of his hand, no way to hold it. 

". . . not human either, exactly. Well done, Koori. "  
Ui's eyes widened in horror as he looked into a single kakugan - as glowing red as the embers of his cigarette before.  
"You. . . ", that's as far as he got, Furuta strengthened his grip and Ui gritted his teeth.  
"Me?", Furuta repeated amusedly, then he shook his head gently, his black hair bumping against his chin.  
"Well, I imagine this is all coming on a little bit suddenly. Honestly, things have got a little out of hand. The bait I put out was working a little too well. "  
"I don't understand. . . ", Ui pressed out exertedly, grabbed Furuta's forearm with his free hand and tried to get him to let go somehow.  
Furuta pretended not to notice. 

"Of course not," he laughed, a malicious expression in the unequal eyes.  
"That's not enough brains, is it, Koori? But I'm not like that and I'll give you a hint. "  
Ui waved his face in pain as Furuta grabbed even harder and it felt as if his wrist would soon give way under the pressure.  
"Those two idiots back there were members of the Washuu Clan. Well? Maybe I should let that information sink in for a moment, what do you think?"  
"Washuus. . . ? That can't be, they just founded the CCG. . . ", Ui pressed out.  
"Yes," Furuta said, "Granted. That sounds a little contradictory, doesn't it?" 

Indeed.  
The Washuus should be ghouls? Absolutely impossible. Completely absurd. How could he believe that? Just the assertion in Takatsuki Sens's novel King Bileygr that the Washuus would work with ghouls seemed completely ridiculous to Ui. But it was just a book by an insane ghoula who wanted to harm the CCG at all costs.  
But what did Furuta get out of putting something like this in the room? 

"What about the RC scans. . . ?", Ui started.  
"Does not respond to Washuu members' RC cells. Sneaky, huh? But that doesn't matter. What's more interesting is why I killed them. Simply to achieve my goal, and anyone who stands in my way usually doesn't have long to live. " 

"He's not responding. . . ? But the scanner has also not with you. . . "Ui moaned as Furuta squeezed so hard that the pain made black dots dance in front of his eyes. Fuck, that was unbearable! Furuta's jaw muscles were tensing, he seemed to get angry all of a sudden. Even the calm, patient and undercurrently amused tone of voice had given way to an unpleasant sharpness. 

"Didn't anyone teach you to focus on the essentials? I said the scanner isn't interesting. Did you even listen to me, huh? It's pretty rude just to let people talk, don't you think?"  
Ui could not answer, even if he had wanted to.  
Meanwhile his hand had become numb, but the bruised muscles and vision hurt like hell.  
As suddenly as Furuta had become angry, so suddenly a smile appeared on his face again. 

"Where my point was. . . ", Furuta went on as if nothing had happened,". . . is that you were the bait. You can't imagine how strong the ravenousness is among ghouls and I'm not so naive to believe they didn't mean to hurt me as well. So I just wanted to distract them a little and make them careless so I could strike faster, but I must have underestimated these instinct controlled individuals. Because they were gonna kill you, Ui. Better now than later. But I couldn't let that happen, could I? After all, you're mine. Well, at least that's why there was a little unscheduled change in the process and Akihito and Takane Washuu had to die instantly after a long, unnecessary discussion. Tragic story, I know. " 

Ui breathed hard. He tried to sort out the chaos in his head, but in vain. None of this made any sense. Although the disgusting pain began to radiate from his wrist to his forearm, Ui tried to show no sign of it. He was too proud to show another sign of weakness and had already been through much worse. 

"And now? Are you trying to kill me?"  
Furuta laughed and Ui was not sure if he laughed at him or if he just found this statement amusing.  
"You're really funny, Koori. Don't you think I've wasted enough time today? Why tell you all this and then get rid of you? I beg you. . . This is absurd! Besides, you're so useful to me. " 

Furuta looked at him urgently as he pressed his wrist firmly one last time before finally letting go. In Ui's eyes the pain stood and the corner of his mouth twitched briefly. No further reaction, he didn't want to give himself the nudity. He even suppressed the natural urge to press his damaged wrist against his body in a protective manner, holding it instead only with the other hand carefully and as inconspicuously as possible. 

"Then what do you want?"  
Furuta smiled. His Kakugan was deactivated. He used his fingers to form a V.  
"It's actually quite simple. All I want is 'Super Peace'. Ah yes, and before I forget it - I would also be very grateful if this whole matter would stay here among us, you understand that for sure? Otherwise. . . ", a malicious smile played around his thin lips, "unfortunately I can no longer guarantee anything. "


	2. Chapter 2

Ui twitched slightly as he grabbed his cup of coffee, lost in thought. It hurt.   
In a makeshift manner he had wrapped a bandage around avoiding unpleasant questions rather than really take care of it.  
Meanwhile, unsightly bruises had formed. All blue and green, he didn't want to see it himself.  
He had stayed away from Furuta for the last few days to the best of his ability, suppressing every thought of this evening as best he could.

Ui still had no idea what exactly was going on and if he was honest, he didn't even want to know.  
It was enough to know that Furuta was a half ghoul, but still wanted to wipe out the ghoule and was on the side of the humans.  
It was enough to know that Furuta did not want to eliminate him.  
And it was enough to know that Furuta still intended to bring Hairu back to life with Kanous help.  
The rest was none of his business.  
All the confused mess didn't really matter in the end.  
Not for him. 

That was all on Furuta's own business and as long as Ui obeyed every order, he was safe and the plan to revive Hairu was not in danger.  
He didn't mean to risk anything for any more information.  
Everything was fine, nothing had changed in his situation. At least that's what he told himself.  
Ui almost threw himself into work.  
It was his way of dealing with emotional stress. Anything else would destroy him in the long run. It was better that he didn't give himself a break.  
A gentle knock on his door made him look up.  
"Come in", Ui called and stapled some important documents together.  
When he received no answer and no other sound, Ui turned his head in the direction of the door. 

He wasn't even surprised to see Furuta. At some point, either way, they should have made contact again.  
Furuta leaned casually in the door frame, his arms crossed in front of his chest and had the same smug smile on his face as in the evening with Akihito and Takane.

"What do you want?" Ui asked straight out, harder than he had actually intended.   
Furuta did not react, also leaned his head against the door frame and at some point exhaled noisily.  
"Seeing how you are, that's all," he finally replied, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.  
"Good", Ui replied.  
"You're wearing a bandage," Furuta remarked, although it was covered by the sleeve of his suit, "Did I break it?"  
Ui laconically denied the question.

"You've been avoiding me for a while," Furuta went on unperturbed.  
"And if it were so?", Ui coolly asked a counter question. He tries to stay distant and neutral because he knew Furuta wouldn't do it.   
Sooner or later he began to become unprofessional. Always.  
"Naww, that hurts my feelings. Why are you so cold all of a sudden, Koori?"  
Furuta grinned crookedly, the tone discreetly provocative to mocking.  
"What feelings?", Ui asked and for a moment there was oppressive silence. Then Furuta laughed softly.

"I think, something stands somehow between us," he started with a thoughtful expression, holding a hand to his chin, "I didn't really want to hurt you and used only a fraction of my strength. . . "To be honest, I really didn't squeeze too hard. . . "  
"Is that an excuse?", Ui asked dryly.  
Furuta smiled and pressed his palms together and indicating an obeisance.  
"I'm glad to hear nothing's broken. I'll be more careful in the future. "

Ui blinked in surprise. Watch out better in the future? What was that supposed to mean?  
Without answering Ui stood up with the documents and walked towards Furuta, who, however, made no effort to leave the door frame to make room for him. For an infinitely long moment, they just looked at each other. 

Ui had known that Furuta had dark eyes, but up close it was almost like looking into a dark abyss. Kind of creepy. He could not notice any emotion in it and even if he had a very similar eye colour himself, he was sure that it was different with him. It took Ui a while to find himself again.   
Just as he opened his mouth to ask Furuta to let him through, he suddenly raised his hand and gently stroked his cheek with his fingertips. 

Ui only felt the silky fabric of the red glove for a short moment. Nevertheless, he hardly robbed the fleeting touch of his unpleasant intimacy. As if paralysed, he stood there, even when Furuta had long since restored the usual distance between them. 

What the hell was that all about?

"Good luck, Koori," Furuta said, hinting at a smile and left without looking at him again.  
Ui looked after his superior, his cheek tingling strangely where Furuta had touched him.  
He raised his own hand to dispel the sensation, briefly rubbing rudely over his skin. For fuck's sake.  
He'd never figure that son of a bitch out.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 

"Ui-san?"  
"Ui-san!"  
"Ui-san, hello?"  
The addressed loosened his critical gaze sluggishly from the flickering computer screen.  
He had been so engrossed in his work that he had not noticed his colleague at all.  
Himiko had her hands on her hips and looked at him urgently. Waiting like she expected something from him.

"Well, you're finally reacting," the investigator said with her blue-black hair pinned up to a bun.  
"It's almost 3:00pm, it's time we started!"  
"Started with what?", Ui asked and hated not knowing what it was about. 

He did not like to accept help, had been a pure lone fighter for long stretches. He preferred to help the weaker, everything else made him feel uncomfortable. He was too ambitious and proud for that.  
Arima had long been his idol, even before he became his mentor. He had secretly wanted to become what he was and even though Ui had tried to find his own style over the years, Arima's handwriting was clearly recognizable in his movements.  
Arima also preferred to fight alone.

"The interview," Himiko reminded him emphatically and tapped her wristwatch.  
"Did you forget that?"  
"No", Ui lied without batting an eyelid and rose. He wouldn't admit that gross mistake.  
It didn't look like him to forget appointments and Ui was kind of annoyed about himself. No matter how much stress he had, how much the matter with Hairu captured his mind or Furuta tried to get him out of concept - that should not have happened.

It had been exactly three days since Furuta had touched his cheek.   
Three days where he still had to think about it.  
And three days in which he was swallowed off the face of the earth.  
Ui started to get nervous. Kanou would agree to try it with Hairu, wouldn't he?  
And Furuta would keep his promise, right? 

Focus. He had to concentrate. The interview first, then he could keep worrying about it.  
Ui remembered darkly to have given his consent.  
An interview for television. As a rule, the media tried to interview high-ranking investigators.   
People who had killed a lot of Ghoule, no matter how. Good strategists were just as much in demand as investigators with physical strength.  
That was interesting for the average population. Just the stuff to celebrate the CCG's investigators as heroes.

Ui, however, did not let himself be interviewed for the recognition sake. It was enough for him to be appreciated by his colleagues, but he was the only one who had agreed to do so.  
Himiko wanted to support him and seize the chance to put female investigators back in the spotlight. But they had already lost the best women. Hairu and Akira had left large gaps in their ranks.  
Ui was determined, Himiko was right on his heels.  
"Look," she said to him when the report was in sight, "There they are already, not a second too late. Luckily we made it in time, otherwise it would have been embarrassing. . . "  
Ui only gave his companion a brief side glance.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 

The interview had been going on for a while when they were suddenly interrupted. Ui had been in the middle of a description of his last mission, Himiko eagerly added some informations and answered most of the questions of understanding.

"Ui!", a voice all too familiar to him called in.  
Furuta came straight up to them despite the running camera and literally built up in front of him. Ui took a quick look at the surprised reporter and heard Himiko's surprised "Ah, Mr. Bureau Chief!

"Is something wrong?", Ui finally dared to ask for a moment of embarrassing silence. He tried, despite the slip-up, to continue to act seriously. Himiko, on the other hand, giggled audibly, although she held one hand pressed in front of her mouth.  
"I really need to talk to you," Furuta announced, sounding pretty excited.   
"Uh. . . Excuse me," the cameraman cautiously threw in, "We're on the air, so. . . ", he left the sentence hanging incompletely in the air. 

Furuta just launched a soft "Oh" before he put on a smile that was a serious competitor to the people in toothpaste advertising. "  
I'm very sorry, but even during an interview people get shredded and eaten, please forgive the abrupt interruption. "  
Himiko's eyes grew big, Ui tried to look as neutral as possible. Laughing or crying - there were hardly any more possibilities after such a commentary in front of the camera. 

"Was there an attack?", Ui followed up as professionally as possible.  
"Nah", Furuta made and waved away, "not quite. I'll explain it to you in peace. "  
Himiko gave Ui an almost panic-stricken look as Furuta stood behind her, laid her hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her towards the camera.  
"Himiko-chan will continue the interview alone, she is a very capable investigator," he determined out of nowhere and cheered her up. Himiko turned pale.

"I-I. . . Should I really go on alone. . . ?", she started, but her quiet protest went down.  
"Himiko-chan?" the reporter repeated in surprise.  
"Oh yes, we at the CCG have a very friendly cape with each other," Furuta stressed, who seemed to notice immediately that the reporter would try to detain him with questions, because as soon as he had finished speaking, he quickly scurried back over to Ui.

"Anyway, I'm busy. You'll be all right! Goodbye," Furuta waved to the camera, put one hand between Ui's shoulder blades and pushed him in front of him with gentle force.  
"Don't turn around, keep going straight," Furuta whispered urgently and the corner of Ui's mouth sank drastically.  
"What was that all about?" he grumbled back just as quietly.  
"Shut up, keep moving. There are news that will certainly interest you," Furuta replied in a good mood and kept pushing him towards his office.  
"I was in the middle of an interview," Ui protested anyway and Furuta rolled his eyes.  
"This is not the time for your exaggerated sense of duty. Don't get me wrong, I usually appreciate it very much, just not right now. "  
"That was live! Couldn't it have waited a little longer?"  
"When did Koori-chan become so attention-grabbing," Furuta laughed and Ui sighed softly.

Discussing with him was like fighting windmills.  
No use at all. You could say what you wanted. . .  
Arriving in Furuta's office, Ui stood in the corner of the room, his arms crossed in front of his chest and looked around sceptically. He'd never been here before. The room was much bigger than his own. On the brightly polished wooden desk lay two stacks of paper, a black designer laptop and a champagne bottle. The yellow rubber duck next to him seemed as extremely out of place as he was feeling.

The walls had been painted brightly and even the large windows let in enough light, but Ui was still very uncomfortable. Furuta closed the door behind him, which had something strange final and settled down on his desk chair. Well padded and covered with black leather of course.  
"Well," Furuta started stretched, leaned back and crossed her legs. "Let's see what's the best way to start. "

Ui remained silent, but in his eyes impatience and tension were reflected.  
"Oh, no. How rude of me," Furuta said, pointing with an unnaturally elegant movement at the chair opposite her. "Please sit down!" Ui didn't let his superiors out of his sight while he complied.  
"Champagne?", Furuta asked him harmlessly and Ui shook his head.  
"Sure?", his superior checked again, "But what do I do with it now? It's actually too bad to tip over. "  
"If it's escaped your notice: I am at work right now, the consumption of alcohol is actually strictly forbidden," Ui threw in and tried not to sound too instructive. No easy matter. 

Furuta, who had previously studied the label of the bottle, put it aside and fixed him with an unpleasant look out of his dark eyes.  
"Hah, you're a real bore, Koori. I wonder if this is connected to your wealthy family. Were they all so stuffily? It may be a prejudice, but aren't rich people usually like that?"  
Ui pressed his lips together to a narrow, colourless line. That's exactly what he's been accused of since he could remember.  
Vanity, arrogance, you can't have fun with him.

Even as a small child nobody wanted to play with him because he had always worn such fine clothes. Only in school was he allowed to be a member of the dodgeball team, because the uniformed school uniform had not separated him so strongly anymore. Nevertheless, some of his classmates had still labelled him as conceited because of his background.

"Get to the point", Ui growled, pushing aside the unpleasant memories and withstanding Furuta's gaze. His counterpart laughed softly.  
"Right, right. Well. . . The following," he began, opening a drawer on his desk and pulling out an envelope. He hesitated for a moment, looked at it thoughtfully, almost as if he could read the writing through the sturdy envelope, then put it on the table and pushed it to Ui.  
"This is a report from Kanou," Furuta explained, stroking some black strands of hair off his face. Although they immediately disengaged again, he made no effort to cross them off again.

"To be honest, it was not easy to convince him that Ihei-san is a suitable test object for the first attempt, but I assume it is in your interest to tackle the matter as quickly as possible. So I wouldn't let up. "  
Test object. . . He called Hairu a test subject. Without batting an eyelid, completely sober, as if she had been nothing else in her lifetime.   
Ui narrowed his eyes and swallowed his rising anger.  
"What is it?" Furuta asked with a shallow smile, "Won't you open it?"

Silently Ui reached for the envelope and opened it. He pulled out the documents inside and filed them in front of him.  
He started reading. The first words were not as bad as feared, but the picture of Hairu in the upper corner of the paper bothered him.  
It was her file. Everything important about her had been recorded. Name, age, origin, rank - that and more. Most of the information wasn't new to him. He did, however, briefly cut down on her parents.

Mother: Aya Ihei  
Father: -

No information? That was weird. Did she never know her father? He had talked to Hairu about many things, including personal matters, but she never once spoke about her parents.  
The next words that caught his eye caused a sinking feeling in his stomach area.

A description of her last assignment. Cause of death. 

Ui tried desperately not to think of her headless body, not of all the blood and pain he had felt.  
Damn Ghoule. These beasts. . .  
And half-Ghoule were no better. Sasaki, that lousy traitor. How could he have cheated the CCG like that? His friends? For what? Was that ghoul girl really worth the betrayal?

"Is anything wrong?" Furuta asked him worried played.  
"What am I supposed to do with it? I know how she died. "   
Ui's voice was almost emotionless, but he had not been able to completely banish the bitterness.  
"Hm?", Furuta made as if he didn't know what he was talking about, then he laughed again.

"Ahhh, my bad. Kanou's report just starts on the next page. I should probably have mentioned that before. But I tell you, this information is essential for planning the experiment. In fact, the fact that Ihei-san. . . now, literally lost her head, a little complicated. "  
Ui gently stuffed the documents back into the envelope and threw them off. They slid back over the bare table top to Furuta, who put a hand on it at the last moment to prevent them from sailing over the edge and falling down.

"And what does that mean exactly?"  
"So. . . Actually, it's all in here," Furuta replied, tapping on the envelope, "But it seems the report has already stirred your emotions. Then I guess I'll just have to keep explaining, huh?"  
"Get started," Ui muttered and nervously began to entangle his fingers. He had a bad feeling about this. To make matters worse, nausea now settled in him.  
He hadn't been this excited and tense in a long time. 

"Ihei-san's body is fortunately still in our possession, but that won't necessarily make things any easier. Kanou will use regenerative RC cells from ghouls once he has replenished the hole in their abdominal cavity with functional organs and tissue. To stimulate the RC cells in a corpse, he'll have to send impulses from outside. I can hardly describe the process in detail, after all I am not the scientist. But once the body is in rhythm, Kanou will try to reconnect her head with the rest of her. This is going to be the hard part. . . Few ghoule are able to regenerate injuries of such serious extent. The loss of the head is of course fatal for most ghouls, but. . . ", Furuta raised his index finger with an almost diabolical smile, "Noro was able to do this, thanks to the modification by the one-eyed owl Yoshimura Eto. We found parts of her cell memory in his body that seemed to be all that kept Noro alive. By combining his RC cells with theirs, a new type of cell has been created by mutation - T-RC05. . . " 

Furuta grinned as smug as if this had already been part of his own plan.  
Ui pulled his eyebrows together so that a deep worry line appeared on his forehead.  
"T-RC05?", he slowly repeated, "If this is a new type of cell. . . what do you know about it?"  
Furuta tilted his head, grabbed the envelope and put it back in the drawer of his desk. 

"Yes, that's where we already have our complication," he replied, "T-RC05 is only a few months old. " Furuta paused, then exhaled noisily.  
"I guess I'll have to explain more. . . Well, the naming might make some things clearer.  
T stands for the type, RC naturally comes from the well-known Red Child cells and 05 refers to the number of discovered mutations. Type 05 is the fifth change in this type of cell known to date.  
The problem with the whole thing is this - every other type scientists have already experimented with turned out to be enormously aggressive.  
Especially T-RC03 is so dangerous that one has decided not to try to use it for any further experiments. Even processed in Quinquen, they still do damage. "

"Why? What's so dangerous about these cells?" Ui wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.  
"All T-RC cells degenerate rapidly and would lead to horrible deformities and damage in human bodies. T-RC03, for example, does not even stop at non-human tissue. It destroys everything that is even in the farthest organic origin. But T-RC05 can quickly regenerate severed spinal cord, and it can undoubtedly do that. Kanou would only have to find a way to keep the stock of T-RC05 constant. A few of these cells would give new life to Ihei-san, but with uncontrolled reproduction. . . ", Furuta shook his head regretfully. 

Ui lowered his gaze. That wasn't good, no, that couldn't go well.  
What now? What would he do with that knowledge? The weight on his shoulders was almost physically palpable. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to embrace Hairu.  
He wanted to eat melon bread with her again, ride the subway and see her smile, but could he really answer for that under the circumstances?

"What are the chances of success?"  
Furuta hesitated. Just for a second, but he did. Ui had noticed it and it didn't give him much hope.  
"With a little optimism at about 5%. "  
"And without optimism?"  
"Nah, is that really important?", Furuta asked back and raised his hands defensively while a very shallow smile plucked at the corners of his mouth.  
"Of course, failed attempts may be made, but. . . "  
"Failed? You're speculating on failed attempts and want to repeat the process?"  
"But, but. We don't want to paint the devil on the wall," Furuta tried to calm him down. "Perhaps we only need a few attempts. "

Ui desperately buried his face in his hands and clawed his fingers into his black hair. You gotta be kidding me. . . What was he gonna do? What?

"The whole thing is highly complex and Kanou is a pioneer in this field. We can't expect for the first shot to be a hit. Numerous factors play a role over which it is impossible to have full control. We'll have to rely on a little luck", Furuta told him. But Ui was so much in thought that the words didn't even reach him. Information. He needed more information. . .

"Does Kanou have any idea how to stop T-RC05?", he asked, interrupting Furuta's flow of speech.  
"Concentrated radioactive radiation destroys all types of RC cells quickly and effectively. Don't worry, Ihei-san would only be at their mercy for a short time, she would not be exposed to any serious danger - the remaining T-RC05 cells will also immediately eliminate unwanted tissue damage."

"If Kanou used her RC cells, would Hairu become a ghoula? Would she have to eat human flesh?"  
"Not at all. The number of T-RC05 should be in the lowest possible range of 150 - 200. Moreover, T-RC05 alone is not capable of forming a cell memory. "  
"Will she suffer?", Ui didn't find it easy to ask this question, he felt strangely dazed. Almost like in a dream.  
"Please?" Furuta asked, although he had understood perfectly. Ui just felt it, that goddamn bastard. He didn't care about Hairus's life.  
"Will she suffer if something goes wrong?", he specified his question and looked to his superior.  
"Kanou will always do his best", Furuta evaded him.  
Ui shook his head. No, he couldn't do that. The risk was way too great, he'd do more damage than anything in trying to get her back. He couldn't be that selfish. He wasn't someone who. . . no, he couldn't possibly do that ordeal to the person he loved. Test object. . . she wasn't a test subject, and he didn't want to make one of her.  
Ui rose and for a moment a spark of surprise flashed in Furuta's dark eyes. 

"Thank you for your efforts, but I will not agree. "  
"No? Oh, that would be annoying," Furuta replied with a lurking undertone in his voice. Then he also got up, which made Ui suddenly nervous. He tried not to retreat and nodded reservedly to his counterpart.  
"I'm sorry, but the reasons for my decision may be obvious. "  
"Hmm. Your call?" Furuta grinned viciously, "I'm afraid you overestimate your influence on this matter, Koori. I already told Kanou to start trying because I knew you'd back down. "

"What. . . ?", Ui felt as if the floor had just been pulled out from under his feet.  
"Yes, yes, well, don't look so horrified. Did you really think I needed your "okay" as her former partner? Oh, no, it was all my decision to involve you in this at all. At no time was her fate in your hands, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But of course you are free to distance yourself from the project. I'm just afraid that then I have no reason to set a limit to Kanou's experiments. . . Poor girl, that could end up ugly for her. . . You know, Kanou's scientific curiosity is boundless. Who knows what he'll do to her if I just let him do it?" 

Furuta clapped his hands once and laughed.  
"I'm looking forward to find out about it. "  
"No. . . no, what. . . you can't do that. " Ui became dizzy, it was as if something was breaking inside him and he didn't know what it was and how to repair it.  
"Can't I? Oh. . . Unfortunately, I can," Furuta purred and came closer. 

"You may deceive others, but in reality you are far too considerate. Instead of simply taking what you want, you prefer to give up, because you can't deal with the consequences and such behavior must be punished, isn't it so? You can't even look me in the face", Furuta's mocking voice was razor-sharp and Ui wanted to prove him wrong. He wanted to hit him, yell at him, show him that he couldn't handle him like that - but whatever broke before made it impossible for him to move even one muscle.

"You know, if you hadn't failed, we wouldn't be in this awkward situation right now, but you haven't managed to wipe out the Tsukiyamas or save the people you care about. You didn't accomplish anything that night, just lost. Say, how is it to live with that certainty?" Furuta suddenly grabbed his chin rudely and forced him to look up. Ui suppressed the impulse to tear himself away as best he could. He would not be able to free himself anyway, the mere attempt would only make him look ridiculous in Furuta's eyes. 

No, instead Ui held out, did not look away and put as much disgust into his eyes as he could. Although he only felt the velvety fabric of Furuta's red glove on his skin again, the touch seemed to burn him. Ui ignored it and clenched his hands. No, he'd have to put up with this.  
Furuta had got so close to him that he could almost feel his warm breath.  
"If you could see how miserable you are. . . ", he put on and stroked his lower lip with his thumb.

"That's really beautiful. "


End file.
